Invasive species removal in Shawnee National Forest

Beginning in 2021, Illinois Extension, the Shawnee National Forest, and volunteers worked together to remove the invasive plant autumn olive from the entrance road to Garden of the Gods. The removal required hours of intense manual labor and teamwork. The invasive plant was cut and removed by hand and then treated with an herbicide to prevent it from coming back. By 2024, all of the autumn olive had been removed and treated from the entrance road to the backpack parking lot. Additional autumn olive infestations are now being addressed in southern Illinois. 

Learn more about the Master Naturalists in Saline County.